


Home, As it Should Be

by ghosthargrove



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Homophobic Language, Other, billy angst, eventual harringrove, joyce byers is an actual angel, neil is still a complete dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2020-08-10 20:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20141458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghosthargrove/pseuds/ghosthargrove
Summary: Billy comes out to his dad and gets kicked out :(





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was one of two of my first requests! It made me a little sad to write but here we are :3

Billy steps out of the Camaro, letting out a shaky stream of smoke. There’s cold, cold dread thrumming through his whole body, despite him being on time. He isn’t late, but he has something to tell his dad, and god he knows that won’t go over well. He might as well steel himself for the beating to come now, while he’s still standing.

_ Goddammit _ , he swears to himself, closing his eyes. Why couldn’t he have parents like the damn Byers or even that kind of annoying kid Mike? Sure he had flirted with Mrs. Wheeler a lot, but he really wouldn’t have even minded living under  _ her  _ roof over this. Shit, he might even take  _ Hopper _ over his dad, for crying out loud! And he didn’t even really  _ like  _ Hopper! At least with him he wouldn’t have to be terrified of coming home late and getting his ass kicked. And apparently the guy was a big goofball under all that hard cop exterior, which was.. interesting to learn. Being pulled into the group of Steve and all of Max’s weird little friends was strange, especially after they hated him so much the year before.. He didn’t dwell on that thought long.

His hand trembles like hell as he takes the cigarette from his mouth, crushing it against the asphalt and flicking it into their open trash can.  _ Time to go break the news _ . 

The decision to finally come out to his dad wasn’t one made on his own- the weird little group of Max’s friends had all realized what was going on and had almost convinced him, despite him knowing exactly what would come of it. They didn’t, well maybe Max did, but.. that was for another time. His stomach dropped as he opened the door, feeling his heart hammer away in this throat. “Billy? Is that you?” Neil’s rough voice rang from the kitchen, followed by the clinking of a cup being settled on the table. “Yes sir,” Billy called back, swallowing hard as the anxiety set in. “What was that? I don’t think I could hear you.” His father sounds angry as always, but is he ever not? “Yes. sir.” He says, this time louder as he rounds the corner, his sharp blue eyes landing on the figure of his father, who is slowly folding up a newspaper. “Good! You weren’t off with those little fairy freaks, were you?” He asks, raising an eyebrow at him, his jaw working tensely.

Billy grits his teeth and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. “No sir,” he says back calmly, looking back at him. He’s shocked Neil hasn’t stood up to get closer to him yet, honestly. “Good. Why do you look like you’re holdin’ somethin’ back, huh? You wanna tell me somethin’, Billy? Are you a fairy freak too, is that it?” Neil stands now, his tone becoming a bit more aggressive as he closes the gap between them. He grabs the collar of his shirt, pushing him back against the wall solidly, narrowing his eyes at his son. Billy tenses, stands his ground, swallowing hard. Maybe the tears pricking the back of his eyes will go away if he wills them to hard enough. “I do have something to tell you. I’m gay,” he spits the words out like venom, hoping to drive his father back. 

And drive him back it does.

Neil lets him go with a slight shove and almost looks as if he’s wiping his hands off on his pants after hearing that, as if he’s trying to keep himself from being “dirtied” or something. “I’m not having any faggots under my roof. Pack your shit. Get the fuck out,” he snarls, and Billy feels his chest ache. He wasn’t prepared for this. He wasn’t prepared for any of this. “Am I clear?! Pack your shit, and get the fuck out!” Neil yells, pointing hard toward the door. Billy manages a quiet ‘yes sir’ before turning to his room, shoving everything he can into bags and even pillowcases, swearing as a tear races down his cheek. He angrily swipes it away, hearing his father’s muffled swearing in the other room as he stuffs his things away and heaves them toward the door. The packing job is bad but shit, he was pretty sure he had everything- if he didn’t he could always come back.. Or have Max bring it. 

Billy storms out to the Camaro, pushing his bags and pillowcases full of things into the backseat, slamming the doors as he goes. He slides easily into the driver’s seat, lets the engine roar to life, and hits the gas so hard the tires scream on the asphalt. The Camaro peels away from what used to be his home and he drives, hard and long, not really sure to where, until he finds himself in the empty parking lot of a boarded up bar. He turns the car off and rests his forehead against the steering wheel, feeling a sob tear out of him- and then another, and then another. Billy goddamn Hargrove had been taught for years not to cry, not to feel  _ anything _ , but if there was anything he did other than feel anger, was cry. 

And this time, he cried  _ hard. _

He cried until his throat was raw and the aching feeling in his chest was just numb, but in a kind of better way. His hands hurt from their few hits on the dashboard and from being clenched into tight fists for so long, but that wasn’t his biggest worry. Where was he going to stay? He was definitely not about to start living out of the Camaro, that was for sure. His reputation would  _ tank _ , and hard. Maybe he could leave the state-

His thoughts were cut off by the low rumble of an engine beside him, which could only be Hopper’s car.  _ Shit.  _ This was in no way how he would want to be seen by him, especially seeing how their past interactions had gone. There was a light tap on the window and he took a deep breath, sitting upright again to lower the window. “Hey, Hop,” he greeted, his usual charm a bit faded this time as he looked up at the man. Hopper’s mouth opened and closed, his light eyes studying, searching Billy’s face- he watched his eyebrows furrow in concern. “Hey, Billy, you alright? You don’t look so good,” he said back, his voice low. “I was coming here to tell you that you can’t fuck people here but… this looks like a different situation.” 

Billy lets out a weak laugh, tilting his head so it rest against the headrest again. “Funny. I wouldn’t choose this dump anyway,” he said, shaking his head a bit and turning his gaze back to the chief. Hopper isn’t taking his shit, unfortunately. “Billy, tell me the damn truth. Why are you sitting here, looking like you’ve just about had a meltdown, with stuffed bags in your car?” He asks, a bit more abrasive this time, and he sinks a bit more. “Fine,  _ Jim _ , I got kicked out. You happy?” Billy snaps back at him, and he sees Hopper’s worry grow. He steps back from the car and tells him to wait for a moment, then hears him talking, low and quiet from the other side of his vehicle. It takes a bit for him to return, and when he does, he shifts his hat on his head before looking down the road. 

“Joyce Byers wants you to go to her house,” he finally says, and Billy’s eyes widen. Joyce had always loved seeing him, no matter how many times he was dragged over, no matter how many times he came off as aggressive or mean or anything. She was always so patient, so caring.. Like the mother he used to have. She also forced him to sit still while she tended to his wounds after a fight with his father too, once. “Shit, fine,” he murmurs, giving Hopper a nod before turning the Camaro on again and pulling away from the lot. 

Thankfully, he has the way to the Byers house memorized by now, and drives in silence until it becomes too unbearable. Rock slams hard through his veins and pours from his windows when he pulls up to the house, and he sees Joyce step out when the car turns off. She looks like she might cry, which is odd- she wasn’t the one getting kicked out. “Oh, Billy,” she says as she sees him step out of the car, rushing over to pull him into a hug. He rests his face against her shoulder and lets her hold him, feeling his heart pound sadly in his chest. He’s not about to cry again. Not again. Not in front of her. 

A tear does slip out and she wipes it away, resting her palms on either side of his face. “You can stay here as long as you want, okay? None of us mind. You can have the guest room- it’s empty,” she says, giving him a warm smile. Her dark eyes are sweet and sad all at the same time, and he nods, giving her a tiny, relieved smile in return. “Thanks, Joyce,” he murmurs quietly, closing his eyes. She stands up on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead, then lets him go, grabbing a few of the bags from his car to help. 

“Boys! We’ve got a new addition to the family!” Joyce shouts as she walks back inside, with Billy tagging along behind her. She leads him right to the guest room and sets the bags down, then steps back into the hallway. Will, one of Max’s friends, the one who got possessed or something like that, peeks out of his room and smiles at him, giving him a little wave. He nods back, though the smile on his face makes his chest a little warmer. Jonathan steps out of his room not long after, and as soon as he sets his eyes on Billy, looks right to his mom. “Are you sure about this?” He asks, and she thumps his chest lightly. “Yes I am, Jonathan. He needs a home.. And we’re the best one he’ll get.” Her voice is warm as ever- Billy almost can’t believe she’s real, honestly.

Billy gets everything into the room pretty quickly, moving some of the furniture around before he’s completely content. As he’s unpacking, he hears a small knock on the door- and in comes Joyce, with a plate of something that smells like heaven. Thank god he was almost done putting everything away. “Here, Billy, I made you some dinner. You missed eating with us but.. I wanted you to take your time moving in, so..” She sort of trails off, setting the plate (and herself) beside him. “Thanks, Joyce. For all of this,” he says, letting out a relieved breath as she nods and gives him another tight hug. “You know how much I love you. I wouldn’t let you live on the street even if I had to fight for it,” she murmurs, smiling brightly at him when she leans back. Her hand rests on his shoulder for a moment, which is, in an odd way, comforting in its’ own right. “I’m sure the kids will find out about you living here in no time, though. Will’s probably relayed the message.” 

The statement makes him laugh, just a little, and she does too, standing up again. “Sure I can live with that,” he says with a light roll of his eyes, grinning at her in his usual way. Joyce beams back at him and kisses his forehead again, then goes to walk out of the room. “Let me know if you need anything, Billy. Anything,” she tells him over her shoulder, then closes the door behind her.

That night, for the first time in years, Billy fell asleep, feeling absolutely and completely loved. 


	2. Conversations Only Dawn Will Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joyce and Billy chat over coffee.

Billy wakes up early enough the next morning that it’s still dark out, but the scent of coffee lures him from his new room. It was kind of weird waking up here- he definitely startled a bit when his eyes opened. He stumbles to the kitchen, looking for a mug, when he hears soft footsteps enter the room. “Billy? What are you doing up so early?” Joyce asks, walking over to the one cupboard he had yet to check and pulls out a mug for him. He shrugs, yawning and rubbing his eyes for a moment, then looks at her again. “Probably because of moving into a new place,” he admits, rolling his shoulders a little as she pours the last of the pot into his cup. “Oh, yeah, that would make sense,” she says, frowning a little. Frowns don’t look right on her face- but they also looked like she had worn too many. He takes his mug and sighs, letting it roll deep from his chest, and looks toward the lightening darkness outside. “Can we talk?” Joyce questions then, gesturing toward the door. 

He feels a vague wave of anxiousness from the question, but nods, letting her lead him to their front step. She takes care in closing the door quietly behind them, joining him where he’s sat. They both study his Camaro in this early light, letting the fresh sounds of morning fill the silence between them- Billy is kind of glad she hasn’t spoken just yet. He sips at his coffee, surprised that there is actual flavor in it despite it being black, unlike how his father’s coffee was. Black, boring, bitter. Black coffee never bothered him, but after tasting this, the one at what used to be his home seemed to be much worse. God,  _ used to be his home _ . That hurt. 

Finally, Joyce takes a deep breath and turns her attention to him, her eyebrows brought together in worry. “Can I ask why you got kicked out?” She says, her voice quiet. Billy had a feeling she’d want to know eventually, maybe not the day after he started living with them, but.. Part of him didn’t mind her asking now. No one else was awake, so it seemed right. Maybe coming out to Joyce now was better than waiting forever, anyway. “I finally told Neil I’m gay. Told me to pack my shit and get out,” he stated, shrugging a bit angrily. Joyce lays her hand on his shoulder, her lips tugging into a soft frown again. “Oh, honey- I kind of wondered, but I’m glad you told me. Even if it is in these circumstances,” she murmurs, and Billy feels his chest fill with a warmth he still isn't used to. God, she had to be an angel.. Or something like that. “I can’t believe he threw you out! What a dick!” She just about exclaims, throwing her hands into the air. Billy snorts, surprised by her sudden outburst, and starts laughing- a genuine sound, not the angry one. When he looks at her, she’s giving him this incredulous look, but she’s beaming, so she continues:

“I’m not kidding! Neil Hargrove is an absolute asshole for kicking you out over that!”

“I’ll kick his ass! I’ll-”

Billy has to grab her arm to make her stop, now that he’s just about doubled over laughing about it. “Jesus, Joyce, take it down a notch before you wake someone up,” he says between laughs, shaking his head. “You’re gonna make me piss myself if you don’t.” At that, she starts to laugh, only stopping to sip her coffee. “Sorry, I may have gotten a little carried away,” she says, trying not to giggle- but it comes out anyway. God, he hasn’t felt this kind of contentment in ages. “But aaanyway, is there anyone around you like?” Joyce leans over, raising her eyebrows in this all too motherly-like fashion, and Billy leans away from her, narrowing his eyes. “Billy Hargrove? Liking anyone? Ha, what a joke,” he remarks, causing her to narrow her eyes right back. “Fine then, you wanna play that game- how did you find out you were gay?” She asks, in a gentle way. For some reason, he has no problem with her asking- maybe it’s because it’s  _ Joyce _ , and he knows she’s being a curious mom. 

“Do you want the real answer to that question, or the short and quick one?” Billy says, taking a long drink of his coffee. Joyce leans back and studies him, then brings her mug to her lips. “The real one, duh.” Jeez, she was sassier than he ever realized. “A boy in California grabbed me by the collar of my fucking shirt and kissed me in the bathroom outside of a homecoming dance in California. I realized that all of the girls I’d fucked weren’t for pleasure and were for sport in those few minutes,” he explains, and Joyce nearly chokes on her coffee at his wording. “How long ago was that?” She asks after she swallows the gulp she nearly spit out, clearing her throat. “Year or two. I doubted it for a while, continued fucking girls to keep my dad off my ass. Apparently I'm very convincing. Then cut to us coming here to this sh- to this place, saw Steve Harrington naked in the gym showers and confirmed it.”

“Alright alright too much information!” Joyce says, gently pushing him away with one hand and laughing. Billy smirked, snickering a little as he sipped his coffee again, then looked at the sky. It was getting brighter by the second. “You wanted the real answer. I gave you the real answer. Sorry you can’t handle me fucking girls for sport and the mere thought of Steve’s naked body,” he tells her tauntingly, and she flips him off. She manages to pull another laugh from him, and he grins toward the ground. "Fine, you want to be a little shit, well, when are you going to tell Steve you like him?" Joyce asks, her voice a bit more daring. Billy nearly chokes on his last swallow of coffee, his cheeks heating up rather unfortunately. "How the hell- I- Jesus, Joyce, fuck if I know," he stutters out, closing his eyes. "Maybe never. He seems hung up on Wheeler still anyway." She raises an eyebrow at him again, her gaze falling on his Camaro for a moment. "Ha! I knew I was right about that. And I don't think he is anymore, or so I've heard from Dustin," she admits, shrugging a little. "I think he'd like to know." 

Billy turns his head, smiling into his shoulder for a moment, and sighs. "I don't know Joyce. At least you know, you little shit."  
Joyce laughs at that, leaning back to look at the sky again. "Take your time."

Maybe living here will be better than he ever imagined.

After a while of laughing together, Joyce pauses, her face drawing into a bit of worry again. "Can I ask you for a favor?" She asks softly, turning her dark eyes onto him again. Billy hesitates, raising an eyebrow at her, his blue eyes meeting hers. The sun is getting ever higher- he can feel its' warm rays on his skin. "Depends on what kind of favor here, Joyce," he says, his lips tugging into a sly grin. She groans and lightly shoves him away again, despite smiling. "Nasty," she scolds, shaking her head. "I think.. I think Will might be gay too, but I don't know- could you maybe talk to him sometime?" 

Billy makes a sort of face at that, looking up at the sky. "Jesus, I'm not good at shit like that. You'd be better off asking Steve," he says, watching the last of the stars fade away under the lightening blues and golds from the sun. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not kidding. I'm the worst fucking choice." Joyce nods slowly, then lets out a quiet breath. "I don't think you'd be the worst choice, Billy.. But maybe you're right. Steve might be a little more comforting." He laughs, more to himself than anything; then closes his eyes for a moment before quickly ducking inside to retrieve his cigarettes and lighter. When he returns, he sits back on the step, tucking one between his lips and striking it up-then offers one to her. She pauses but takes it contently, and they sit, letting out long clouds of smoke toward the sky. It has fallen back to silence, but it becomes obvious that neither of them mind.

Then, Billy realizes; he feels _comfortable._ _At peace_. 

For the first time in years.


	3. Chapter 3

Joyce eventually goes in to make breakfast, and Billy retreats to his room, looking around it again. It looks just like his former room, but maybe a bit better. A bit wider, less empty beer cans. Well, actually,  _ no  _ empty beer cans. Maybe that was a plus. It's quieter here too, until many voices call from the kitchen- the kids.It really  _ is  _ never too early for them. 

They come down the hall, just outside of his closed door, and he swallows a bit nervously. Is Max with them? He's straining his ears to catch the sound of her voice, but they're all talking much too loud over each other for him to tell. 

The sound dies down as they settle into Will's room, and he lets out a sigh of relief when he hears the door close. It's nice and quiet again- until his door flies open, and there stands Steve 'The King' Harrington, looking at him with wide eyes. There's some kind of worry on his face, and Billy tenses, turning himself to face him. "Y'know, it's rude to barge in on people. There's a thing called  _ knocking,  _ you know that right?" He asks a little annoyedly, though under it all, he's a bit happy to see him. Not that he'd ever tell him. "Jesus Billy, you're okay," Steve says in this quiet voice as he steps inside, closing the door behind him. "Well.. just come in I guess," he mutters, watching him pace for a moment in front of him. 

"What's up with you, Harrington? Spit it out," Billy snaps,his hands gesturing vaguely at Steve's pacing. He stops in his tracks, and finally sits beside him. "Max told me what happened and I couldn't get a hold of you last night. I thought you were dead or something," he says quickly, meeting his light eyes. "I really didn't expect to find you here, or, at least to find out about you living here now." Billy's eyes search Steve's face, trying to assess exactly what the other was feeling. Why did he care so much about him getting thrown out? "It wasn't exactly a highlight of my fucking day, so I probably wouldn't have wanted to talk to you anyway," he sort of growls out, looking toward the window. This elicits a sigh from Steve- a long, deep kind, rolling from somewhere in his chest and into the air. "Can I ask why he kicked you out?" He asks in that soft voice, raising the hairs on the back of Billy's neck, and he freezes.

_ Because I'm gay. Because I got kissed by a guy in California and then saw your body in the locker room showers and I've never wanted someone so bad. He didn't know that, but I do. You don't know that. Because I'm everything he didn't want me to be.  _

Steve snaps his fingers in front of Billy's eyes, making him meet his gaze again. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have asked. I'm just.. I'm glad you're okay," he murmurs, and Billy has never wanted to kiss him more in his life. He swallows hard to keep the thought out his head, watching the other as he shifts a little, almost unsettledly. "It's fine. What's up with you now?" He asks, his voice low. 

Steve shrugs a little, then moves so fast Billy can barely comprehend what happens in the following seconds. 

Steve kisses him.

It's quick, light, one made out of relief that the other was okay; but  _ holy shit he kissed him. _

Steve bolts upright and clears his throat, looking toward the door. 'I- I'm gonna go," he stutters out, fast, and gets up. He's gone within a minute or two, and Billy's mouth opens and closes in shock. "What the fuck?" He mutters, flopping back on his bed to stare at the ceiling. "What the  _ fuck?"  _ He honestly can't believe what just happened. He can't. Why did Steve leave so fast though? Did he panic? Probably.. He didn't know about Billy being gay yet, but he  _ did  _ know that he might act with aggression… so he almost didn't blame him. He could still feel how soft his lips were on his so much that he lightly touched his own with his fingers, just thinking. 

Well what the hell does he do now? 

Billy sat up and sighed, hearing Steve's car start and haul ass out of the driveway. He can't get the moment it happened out of his head.. What made him do that? Maybe he'd never know. Did this mean he had some sort of feelings for him? Jesus, he needed to get out of his head. He stood, grabbing a tank top from his dresser, then ducked out of the house quickly; sinking into the Camaro and heading.. somewhere. If only there was an ocean around here.. he could really use a swim in the waves again, but  _ no _ , he was still in shithole Indiana. Even surfing would be nice to do now.. but you can't surf on a lake. Or in a pool. 

You really can't do  _ anything _ in a pool, actually. 

He lit a cigarette as he drove, cranking up the radio. Today's mood seemed to be  _ What's Love Got To Do With It, _ which he found annoyingly ironic, and switched to find  _ We're Not Gonna Take It  _ instead. This song hit harder, felt better when it pounded through his veins and the soles of his feet. It wiped his thoughts clean of Steve and his  _ lips _ , at least for a little bit. Billy hit his fist against the steering wheel to the beat, grinning around the cigarette for a moment. He still didn't know where he was off to, but just driving around with rock blasting from the Camaro felt just..  _ good. Damn  _ good. No matter who he ends up with in the future, he realized, no one would compare to his Camaro- she was his first love, after all. Lucky him. 

Eventually, he slows down in the parking lot of a diner, and kind of just eyes it for a moment. The air smells like burgers and fries, like the heat of summer and warmed asphalt. Today sounded like a good day to stop in and have a little lunch by himself- maybe he needed to take some time to just be alone since he moved into the Byers' house, and this was the perfect chance. 

Billy steps out of the Camaro and locks her up, then heads inside. Inside smells even better, making his stomach rumble with a hunger he didn't realize he actually had. A woman about 5'5" strides over, a big warm smile on her face. He watches her grab a menu, straw, and some utensils, then she turns back to him again. "Just one?" She asks, and he nods, following her to a vacant booth. You know the kind- red, plastic-y seats that stick to your skin, but are just soft enough to not be too uncomfortable- yeah, those. 

He orders a Coke and watches her leave, noticing how one of the other waitresses leans over to chat with her. Both of their eyes land on him multiple times, so he shoots a wink in their direction- they both blush and giggle as they go back to work. Yeah, he's gay, but he knows how to keep them entertained anyway. They don't know he is- they'll probably leave him a number that he won't ever call after this. His waitress comes back and he quickly gathers the name on her badge as she sets the cup down before him, smiling sweet as ever. He gives her a long smile, languid and "flirty", leaning back in his seat as she asks what he wants. 

"Well Nicole, I think I'll have you surprise me. Whatever  _ you  _ think is the best here, whatever the hell  _ you  _ think I might like," he says, voice low as he grins up at her, and she goes red in the face again. "I'm sure I can make that happen," she answers excitedly, turning around to just about bounce back to the kitchen. Billy rolls his eyes toward the window, sticking his straw into his cup and sipping it annoyedly, taking a deep breath for a moment. 

Even if he wasn't gay, he didn't think he'd ask little miss Nicole for anything. She wasn't like the girls in California.. well none of the broads here were. Sure, he fucked a few to keep his dad off his ass, or to kill some urges he had, but he wouldn't come back to them. Nicole might be cute to someone, but she was definitely not for him. The waiter talking to her on the other hand, he looked charming. Tall, dark hair, light eyes, a splash of freckles on the bridge of his nose.. He was cute, but maybe not his type. 

What  _ was  _ his type? Really, he could only think of Steve, and that was a bit.. frustrating to say the least. Billy sipped his Coke a bit more aggressively this time, letting the carbonation sizzle across his tongue to distract himself for a moment.  _ Goddamn you, Harrington. Making me think about you too much. If only you didn't kiss me and run _ . He must have been a little  _ too _ distracted, because Nicole came back, sliding a plate with a big burger and fries over to him. It looked like it had all the things he liked on it- surprising. Good on her. "Hope you like it! I tried my best," she says, and he gives her that languid smile again and thanks her, watching her trot away before diving in.

And she  _ did  _ do good, because it's startlingly delicious. He eats away contently, letting himself be distracted by the world outside the window, when a body drops into the booth across from him and just about scares the shit out of him. "What the fuck, Harrington?!" He says sharply after forcing down a bite of cheeseburger, resting his hand on his chest. "I could fucking kill you right now. Holy shit." Steve laughs, tipping his head back into it, even, and shakes his head. "I didn't expect to scare you holy shit- I'm sorry!" he exclaims between laughs, and Billy just glares at him. It's like nothing happened earlier, and that gets under his skin a little. He leans forward, jerking Steve toward him by the collar of his shirt, and growls out, "You're lucky I don't make you sit somewhere else, asshole." 

Steve just beams at him when he lets him go, ordering himself a Sprite and a burger when Nicole comes back through, and he rolls his eyes. "Don't fucking grin at me like that. Why are you even here?" Billy asks, narrowing his sharp blue eyes at him. He shrugs, exhaling and looking toward the parking lot, then looks back at him. "I mean, to get food- catching you here happened to be cool too."  _ Right. That's why. Suuure.  _ "I believe… half of that," he remarks, biting off the end of a fry and pointing it at him. The other shrugs again, smaller this time, and lets out a breath as he meets his eyes. Billy almost doesn't know what to do with himself when Steve gives him those soft, big brown eyes. He opens his mouth to speak but Nicole comes back with Steve's food, so he closes it again.

Maybe it was safer that way.

They both go quiet as they eat, with Billy still watching Steve with narrowed eyes. His food almost tastes different having Steve eating with him, which is.. Interesting. Jesus, he needed to get away from him for a while. “What’re you doing after this?” Steve asked through a mouthful of burger, tilting his head like a damn dog. Billy shrugged, looking out the window instead of at him. “No fuckin’ clue. Maybe driving around some more. I didn’t really plan on anything- why, you tryin to take me out, Harrington?” He said, raising a notched eyebrow at him. He just about blushed, looking away from him rather quickly and murmuring a quiet ‘no’ back, swallowing in a nervous way. Billy laughed and shook his head, finishing up his meal and waving Nicole down for his check. “Not that I don’t believe you again, but I don’t believe you again,” he said with a shrug, sliding his money into the little booklet the receipt was in, then waving Nicole down again. She trotted over quickly, coming back a moment after to give him his change, along with a receipt that had her number (and one of the other waitresses’) jot down on it. He sort of rolled his eyes at the note, lifting his gaze to Steve, who was looking at it intently. “See Steve,  _ that’s  _ how you pick up ladies,” he purred, standing up and leaving behind a tip. “Have fun with the rest of your food.”

Billy returned to his Camaro, giving her a pat on the roof before hopping in again, listening to her roar to life beneath him. Rock poured from the speakers, loud as ever as he pulled out of the parking lot and continued driving. He wasn’t sure where he wanted to go again, but that was fine. He’d just let the wheels take him where they wanted him to be, he guessed. Maybe that wasn’t the worst, though- just taking a drive out to wherever. 

He missed doing this in California, with the smell of the ocean following him everywhere. 

The only good thing about shithole Indiana was Steve Harrington, and.. The food. Maybe the food. He’d think about that more later, when he was sitting in his room tonight, but at least it was a good distraction for now. 

A good distraction to take his mind from Steve Harrington. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the kids are going to give Billy a headache!

When Billy returns home a few hours later, he pulls up to the house to see the kids pooling from the door, grabbing their bikes- and then he sees Max. He feels his chest tighten in this peculiar way and his gaze sweeps over her, looking for bruises, and is relieved when he doesn’t catch any hiding under her sleeve or collar. Her bright eyes meet his as he turns the Camaro off, and then he realizes all of the kids are looking at him.. Almost in an expecting way. What the hell would they be expecting from  _ him _ ? Hopefully nothing like they expect from Steve. That wouldn’t be good.

He steps out of the car and lights a cigarette, leaning back against the door as he looks back at them. “C’mon, spit it the fuck out,” he says, loosely gesturing with one hand for them to come closer. Funny he’s had to say that twice today. They set down their bikes and Max’s skateboard, then form somewhat of a ring around him, smiling in a way that kind of seems nervous. “Are you okay, living here now?” Max is the first one to speak up, looking up at him. There’s worry between her eyebrows and mouth, pulling all the edges together. The group murmurs and nods, as if they too, were wanting to ask- they were involved in the whole coming out convincing, so he wasn’t surprised. Billy sighed out a cloud of smoke above their heads and nodded, shifting his weight against the Camaro for a moment, then looked down at her. “You’re going to want me to be fuckin’ honest with you, so.. Yeah. It’s fine. Better than what it used to be,” he mutters, and Max’s shoulders drop with a sigh of relief. “We were kind of worried,” Dustin says, looking more at the Camaro than at him. “Will told us what happened and.. None of us expected it really.” He laughs, just once, and rests the cigarette between his fingers, shaking his head at that. They didn’t know that he could have  _ died _ if his father chose to beat him up instead of just throw him out, but he wouldn’t even tell them. Max probably knew, but how could he be sure anyway?

Eleven touched his arm gently, calling his attention to her, and he felt ages of softness fly by with it- it made him swallow a bit hard. “Do you.. Like someone?” She says slowly, her voice quiet, and he freezes a bit at the question. Max beams, nodding eagerly, looking up at him. “C’mon, tell us Billy! There has to be  _ someone _ ,” she says, and Mike adds a ‘yeah!’ to her statement. He shakes his head, laughing to himself more than before, knowing all he can do is think of Steve- but goddammit he doesn’t want to say it to these kids. Dustin squints at him, and with his long, almost cat-like smile, folds his arms across his chest and says, “ I bet it’s Steve.” Billy’s head snaps around hard enough that he just about coughs out a cloud of smoke, clearing his throat annoyedly. It was almost like the kid read his fucking mind! “Alright alright stop fucking around. I’m not getting into this,” he says crossly, waving them off of him. 

Unfortunately for him, that just seems to prove it to them, because they all start giggling and Dustin jumps at least a foot in the air in excitement. “Holy shit! I guessed right! Billy likes Steve!” He declares, and Billy feels his face run hot. They’re all a little  _ too  _ happy about it, honestly. “When did you first start liking him?” Max asks over something Lucas says, and  _ god  _ they’re all talking too much for him to focus, so he shouts at them to just shut the fuck up for a second. “If any of you little dickheads tells him, you’re absolutely dead. Completely finished. I will personally kill you myself. Capiche?” He growls into the now silence, and they all sigh and nod. Dustin grins at him, crossing his arms again confidently. “I can definitely see it happening. Even though you tried to  _ kill him _ , I can see it,” he says, and Billy rolls his eyes at him, taking in another long drag. God, he might need another one after this shit. Joyce steps outside and looks surprised to see them all crowded there, and he meets her dark eyes. She smiles sweetly and walks over, looking up at him. “What are we seeing happening?” She asks, and Dustin beams at her. “Oh y’know, Billy and Steve dating,” he announces, and Billy groans. Joyce giggles and nods, watching him as he lights another cigarette, her smile becoming teasing now. “I can definitely see it too! I can’t wait for when you tell Steve,” she tells him, and he sighs loudly. 

“Don’t keep your fuckin’ hopes up, okay? I wasn’t even going to tell any of you little fuckers about it, so I swear to god if you fuck this up somehow-,” Billy says frustratedly, and Max slaps her hand over his mouth to cut him off. He looks over his shoulder and sees Steve there, leaning out of his car, looking a bit confused. “Why is everyone cornering Billy?  _ And _ , why are none of you at the arcade? You’re going to be late,” he says, and watches as Dustin looks at Billy and winks. He flips him off out of sight of Steve and clenches his teeth, taking a deeper drag this time. Lucas tells him they were just about to leave and they all start grabbing their things again, and Steve pauses, watching. “Okay.. that answers half of what I said, but whatever..” He walks over, tossing and catching his keys in one hand as he does, and stands with Joyce in front of Billy. Billy can feel Dustin’s eyes on the back of his head for a moment, and growls to himself because of it. Steve  _ really  _ didn’t help that conversation, that was for sure. 

Billy ducked back inside after crushing out the last of his cigarette, sighing frustratedly to himself until he realized Steve was following him in. "What do you want now, Harrington?" He asked, his tone a little exasperated. It wasn't that he didn't like having him around- it was just the fact that he couldn't get him out of his goddamn head after that kiss, and him being around because of that was frustrating. "I don't know, I just- can we go for a ride? Or.. will you take a ride with me?" Steve asks, meeting his gaze with those damn puppydog eyes, and he can't resist. "Fine. Try to woo me somewhere else, huh." He retorts, stepping back outside and pausing at the Camaro. "Yours or mine?"

Steve gestures to Billy's and glances back at the house, letting out a breath. "Could I drive? I… want to take you somewhere. It might make you hate Indiana less," he says, and Billy groans, but still ends up throwing him the keys. " _ Fine _ . Stop givin' me those fucking eyes of yours to get what you want, Harrington. Jesus." He slides into the passenger seat after Steve gets in, watching him turn the Camaro on, watching his response to her low rumbling roar. Steve's eyes close just for a moment, his hands resting on the steering wheel, and Billy smirks, dropping the window. "She's good, huh?" He questions snarkily, and Steve blushes, laughing. "Shut up, Hargrove. Yeah, she is." 

The car growls idly beneath them for a moment longer before Steve pulls out of the driveway and onto the road, taking off at a quick pace. Billy hits the radio, finding something good for the ride, and rests his arm out the window. It feels strange letting someone else drive his pride and joy, but hell, what better could he ask for? Steve seemed to be a natural with her, so he.. accepted it. It took a little bit but hey- he didn't usually let this happen, so, don't blame him. 

Steve breaks the silence between them finally, clearing his throat. "I.. wanted to talk to you about earlier," he starts to say, and Billy watches raindrops start to form on the windshield. "What about it, Harrington?" He says, his voice low. Sure, he might sound a little taunting, but really, he's kind of nervous. This could go really good or really bad.. and honestly he doesn't want it to be either. "I uh, I'm sorry for running out so fast," Steve admits, glancing at Billy as he rolls the window up again once the rain starts coming down too hard. "That's it? Whatever, Steve. I didn't think anything of it." His blue eyes studied the male, tracing his face with just his gaze, memorizing the dips and lines of it before turning them back to the road. 

Steve nods a little, taking a few quick turns that throw Billy for a bit of a loop before shutting the car off. It hadn't been that long of a drive, but that was fine- and the rain was coming down a bit harder now. Where even were they? It just looked like a clifftop, and he stops squinting to see anything else when Steve gestures for him to get out. "I found out about this place the other day, and I know it isn't the ocean by any means but.. I figured you must have liked cliff diving at some point so, here we are," he says, throwing his arms out at the place. Billy grins a little, pressing his tongue against his teeth, and lets out a long breath as he laughs. "You guessed right," he tells him, nodding. "And also, I have somethin' to say about earlier too." 

He grabs Steve by the collar of his jacket and yanks him in hard as they stand there on the edge of the cliff, nose to nose. Steve looks like he's inwardly panicking- and he finds that kind of funny. "You should've kissed me longer," he growls, kissing the other hard and rather deep, almost dipping him before he shoves him off the cliff. Billy cackles as he jumps in after him, feeling the raindrops splattering more on his skin before he hits the water, sweeping his long curls from his face when he resurfaces. Steve seems to be at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing, and he just laughs at him. "Cat got your tongue, pretty boy?" He sneers, and the male flips him off in response. "I can't believe you sometimes. I really can't. You scared the shit out of me!" He exclaims, but all Billy can do is grin and snicker. 

"You're welcome. I had to spice it up since you ducked out so fast earlier," Billy says with a shrug, making his way to shore and grimacing at the feeling of his clothes being slicked to his skin. He turns to face Steve and bites the inside of his cheek at the sight of his light blue shirt plastered against his chest- defining the muscle beneath. "I hope you didn't ruin this jacket, shit," he mutters, peeling it off and sighing at him. The sight only gets better with it gone, but Billy keeps his gaze toward the Camaro just to play it safe. There's rain and goddamn Steve Harrington on his lips, and for some reason, it makes the quick kiss from earlier feel so much better. 

Being they didn't exactly plan out how soaked they were going to get, the Camaro ends up getting a lot more wet than Billy would've liked, but he decides it's fine, especially after what happened before they jumped. It was probably all adrenaline but hell, he was fine with that. He got his point across, or so he hoped. "So you  _ did  _ like kissing me, huh?" Steve suddenly says, and Billy snorts, rolling his eyes at him. "Don't get too smug, Harrington. I almost broke your damn jaw before, don't think I won't do it again," he tells him, and hears Steve laugh back. " _ Sure  _ you won't. I won't tell anyone I liked it too." His teasing fades to a soft murmur, and Billy has to clear his throat to ignore it. "Stop the car," Billy says sharply, which makes him stop harder than he probably should have- but once they're stopped, he just grabs him by his shirt and kisses him hard again, this time a little longer. 

Steve melts into it, his hand coming up to rest on the one that's holding his shirt, and Billy pulls back before he lets himself get into it too much.  _ Shit, I can't let him find out this way. Goddammit.  _ He gestures for him to drive again and hisses out a breath, just closing his eyes to listen to the rain and the quiet rock behind it. That is, until, there's a soft voice from the walkie-talkie in the backseat, calling for Steve- it's Will. He's telling him Billy should come back home, something's happening, he can't catch the rest. He vaguely catches Max coming up on it and saying "it's Neil!" but he can't be sure, so he tells Steve to floor it home. 

If Neil was at the house, Joyce was going to kill him. 

If Neil was at the house, he didn't want to see him.

_ Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.  _

Of course his joy wouldn't last too long

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should've put the kids in the tags LOL, gotta fix that now! And also, next chapter is going to be fun, time for Joyce being as badass as she wants against the mayor 👌


	5. Chapter 5

As Steve pulled up to the house, Billy's stomach curled into tight knots. There it was, Neil's ugly tan pickup, sitting in the driveway. He could see the kids in the living room window, piled up on the couch like the night he showed up to find Max- staring at the truck with worried eyes. How the hell was he supposed to deal with this? There was no shut-down-and-act-like-you-don't-care choice. Not this time. This time was different in too many ways, and he didn't like it one bit. 

He stepped out of the car and angrily lit a cigarette between his teeth, watching Neil step out of his truck as well. "There's my son! Just who I've been looking for," he exclaimed, throwing his arms out in a wide gesture. Billy's eyes narrow, his lip curling into a snarl. The longer he looks at his father, the more he wants to punch his face in. "I'm not your fucking son anymore. You threw me out. Why the  _ fuck  _ are you here?!" His words are packed with venom, so much that he even sees Steve flinch where he's still sat in the driver's seat. 

Neil doesn't laugh- his mouth is drawn into a tight, hard line as always. He's angry, and sure there's some kind of fear deep inside of Billy seeing it, but his fury is bigger. His rage with his father is so, so much bigger than his fear, so much so that he can't hide it anymore. "You wanna repeat that?" His father says, stepping up so they're just about nose to nose. 

Billy grins, blowing a thick plume of smoke into his face, and clears his throat, his voice icy cold. " _ I'm not your  _ ** _fucking _ ** _ son. You threw me out. Why the  _ ** _fuck _ ** _ are you here?"  _ He repeated, and as his patience is about to run out- he sees the hit coming, but can't react fast enough. Neil hits him so hard he sees stars, feels the spray of his own blood hit his chest hot as he staggers and hits the ground. Max screams from somewhere in the house- he realizes he lost his cigarette at some point during the fall. 

Shit, his nose. This wouldn't be the first time his father broke his nose- if it even  _ was  _ broken, that is. There was a time when he was much younger and Neil hit him, nearly knocked him out cold on their kitchen floor. They had to go to the hospital and  _ lie.  _ They had to lie through gritted teeth that it was because of baseball or a fight with another kid. Billy had known the truth, and he had tears in his eyes the whole time he sat on that plain hospital bed under those awful too-bright lights. The nurses tried asking him time and time again if he was  _ sure  _ that it was what they said it was, and of  _ course _ he had agreed. He was terrified. 

That was the first time he had broken a bone. 

When he comes back to his senses a bit, he hears Steve swearing, scrambling to get out of the Camaro. Before he can help, a smaller framed person dives between them; and through his swimming vision Billy sees Neil collapse to the ground. It's Joyce. She's raging, he can tell- she's standing over him, clenched fists shaking. 

"How  _ dare _ you come onto my property and do this, you asshole!" She yells, delivering another kick to Neil's stomach. "I'm  _ glad  _ you threw him out so he could get away from you! He's such a wonderful goddamn person, but you never saw that, huh? Never! Stay away from him!  _ Stay off my  _ ** _fucking _ ** _ property, never come back!"  _ Joyce just about screams at him as the man slowly stands, hugging his stomach. Billy can't even think straight as he watches Neil climb into the truck, and hastily drive away. The ground is a bit  _ too  _ comfortable right now. He wants to stand, so much that even reaches toward Steve for help, but his limbs are too damn heavy. Everything is  _ heavy _ . 

Steve crouches before him with Joyce, both talking to him in worried voices. He can't make out what they're saying- he feels like he's fucking underwater. They both hoist him up carefully, and get him into the back of Steve's car. He's not going to pass out, he just can't  _ focus _ right, despite how hard he's trying. He sees Max crying on the steps to the house, with Lucas trying to console her. 

His heart hurts. 

  
  
  


When he comes fully into focus again, he's sitting on one of those hospital beds, looking at a pretty nurse. She's telling Joyce his nose was rebroken, but they set it again, so he might not be too happy in the next day or so. Steve is pacing behind her, his eyebrows drawn together in worry; when he sees Billy's blue eyes on him, he hurries across the room and kisses him right on the mouth. He hears Joyce gasp, and he just kind of stares at him, wide eyed like a damn deer caught in headlights. Steve swears and apologizes under his breath, stepping away from him, but Billy can't take his eyes away from him.  _ He really just did that. Holy shit _ . His face hurts. Jesus christ. 

They head home not too long after, with Billy still dumbfounded at Steve, and trying to remember everything that happened. It just feels like a blur- anger, Neil hitting him, Max screaming, Joyce tearing into his father like no one has before. He doesn't recall the hospital visit except for when the nurse was talking to Joyce and when Steve kissed him.. but that's kind of fine. He doesn't want to think about them having to reset his nose anyway. 

He walks into his room and lays back on his bed, exhaustedly lighting a cigarette. All he wanted to do is sleep at this point-or see Steve. Or both, maybe with the latter. Shit, he was doomed. There was a soft knock at the door, and he yelled for whoever it was to come in. Of course it was Steve, why wouldn't it be? He honestly shouldn't have been surprised,but for some reason, he still was.

Billy didn't sit up, but turned his light eyes toward him as he walked into the room. "Hey, Hargrove, how's your face?" He asks, and he shrugs. "Dunno. Shit sucks, but I've had worse." He's had  _ much  _ worse, but he wasn't going to go into that now. Steve nods, sitting in an empty space on the floor and looks up at him, seeming to study him from down there. "Shit, I want to get drunk or high or  _ something _ . Get me out of this for a bit," he said in Steve's general direction, tapping his temple with one hand. "Whaddaya say, Harrington?"

He turned his head lazily to look over at him, blinking in that half-awake fashion he always seemed to have, smirking when Steve slowly nods. "I have stuff at my house- my parents are out for the week, if that's any more convincing," he says, looking toward the window. There's a slight cool breeze coming through, and it feels nice across his bruising face. "Fuck yeah that's convincing. Let's get the hell out of here," Billy sits up as he speaks, crushing out the last of his cigarette before standing. He stretches hard enough that his bones make awful sounds all the way up, then walks out of the room, waving to Joyce on their way out. 

They take Steve's chocolate brown BMW to his house over the Camaro, which Billy fake grumbles about until he starts driving. Seeing Steve leaned comfortably in his own car, which was about as soft as him, was so different than seeing him in the Camaro. He was a bit more careful like this, a bit more gentle around the edges, and that was interesting to notice. Billy knew he and his car were hard-edged and fast, but Steve- he was different. Different in the kind of way that made you just want to  _ hold  _ him. 

Didn't help that he had those damn puppy-dog eyes sometimes. 

He studies Steve's house as he's lead in, then walked upstairs to his room. It's a nice place- they're definitely a bit more on the upscale of things than his family had been, but he doesn't care. All he knows is he's going to drink or smoke with Steve Harrington and who the hell knew what would come after. "How many fucking rooms are in this place, Harrington?" He asked as he followed him up, his eyebrows raised. Steve pauses, turning to face him, and smiles a little sheepishly. "Uhh.. 12- hot tub and pool too," he tells him, then continues up the stairs. 

_ Jesus christ, 12? What are these people made of? _

Billy stepped into Steve's room after him, blinking at the awful look of his walls. Even the curtains blended in! Wow, he hated this. Good god. "Harrington, can I ask you something?" He says slowly, rotating slowly as he studies the room. "Yeah, what's up?" 

"What the  _ fuck _ is wrong with you? Why does everything blend?" 

Steve laughs, two bottles in his hands when Billy turns to face him again. He's about doubling over, so much that he has to use the edge of the bed to balance again. "I really don't know what to tell you," he manages, gasping for a deep breath. He watches him stand upright again, handing him a bottle as he sits down on the floor. 

Gotta admit, Billy's surprised. He really expected him to just pour cups, but here he was, just going hard. Not that he minds- he usually did this, or just knocked back beers until he ran out or couldn't function anymore. Steve hums beside him, watching Billy flip the cap off the bottle and studying how his throat looks when he tips his head back; and Billy notices almost immediately. "Take a picture, dickhead, it'll last longer," he says, the bottle still against his lips. 

Billy takes another deep drink before closing his eyes, letting the alcohol burn on its way to his stomach. It feels good- his mind is clearing, becoming foggier, and he hums somewhere deep in his chest. There's a click and a flash, so he opens his eyes, seeing Steve there, holding a Polaroid camera in his hands. "Shit, you actually did. Look at you," he mutters bemusedly, watching as he sets it down and takes a drink himself. 

"Figured it'd be good for the memories.. or something," Steve mutters back, blinking at him as he sets his bottle down. "Besides, I never use that thing. Might as well get a use out of it with you." Billy nods, a sly grin stretching across his face as he sips again. "I'll strip for you, if you really wanna take pictures," he says with a snicker, laughing harder when Steve punches him in the thigh. 

"Fuck off, Hargrove." 

"What? It'd be a good idea."

Steve rolls his eyes at him, and Billy laughs, taking another long drink. He didn't even think to see what he gave him- whatever it was was probably fancy and hard hitting- but he didn't care at this point. Whatever got him to forget what happened with Neil for a little bit worked for him really. He watches Steve drink, studying his lips and his throat and his hand, then turns his head away, sipping his again. 

Maybe drinking with Steve wasn't the best idea. 

About twenty minutes later and they've made it through two and a half bottles each, and Steve is slurring while Billy laughs at him from the floor. He hiccups a little mid-laugh and watches Steve sit down, starting to laugh just because of that. Holy shit, he's so cute. Holy shit. Why did he not realize this before? 

Billy leans forward and clumsily grabs him by the shirt, pulling him in and kissing him in a hard but sloppy way. It's not perfect because he's pretty drunk at this point, but Steve leans in back, his hands coming up to tangle in his hair. Tongues brush across lips, teeth bite down on Harrington's lip, the taste of their different drinks mix together. He almost wants to get drunk on  _ this,  _ despite having already drank. Steve leans back for air, his eyes foggy when they meet his- and Billy feels his chest heaving a bit harder for a solid breath as he stares at him. 

"Harrrrrington," he says in this long, slurry way, his voice low as he looks at him, never breaking eye contact. Steve nods a little, blinking slowly at him- jesus they're wasted. Billy looks at his lips and hums, deep in his throat, then kisses him again. It's just as hard and just as damn sloppy, and in the middle of it Steve topples over backward. It feels so  _ intimate _ , that even drunk Billy wants to cling to the feeling he gives him. "Holy fuck," he whispers against Steve's lips, laughing in a way that's a bit too slow. 

"Whaaaat, Hargrove?" Steve groans, looking up at him with those dark eyes. Billy pauses, sits upright, takes a big gulp from his bottle, and pulls Steve up to him, kissing him again. When he pulls back this time, lips resting against lips, he says, just for him- "I think I'm in fucking love with you." His words are slurred together pretty bad, but Steve's eyes widen, and he grins all wide. Takes another drink. Laughs. 

"I think- I think I might feel that too." 

  
  


Billy wakes up the next morning, sprawled out on Steve's floor with a crazy headache. The clock says it's 6, and he groans, closing his eyes tight. Steve groans too, putting a hand over his eyes as he wakes up. "Fucking hell," he mutters, forcing himself off the floor, then walks over to the bathroom. "What the fuck did we do last night, Harrington?" He asks as he splashes some water on his face, to which he just gets another groan. His face doesn't look good- the bruising across his cheekbones and nose look nasty, and ache when the water hits them. 

He steps back into the room and sits back on the floor after pouring a cup of water for them both, tipping his head back against the bed. They both groan a little again, but Steve slowly joins him and takes the water he brought. "Fuck my head hurts," he mutters, and Billy nods. "At least it was fun. I don't remember a fuckin' thing," he says with a shrug, and Steve turns his head to eye him. "I'm trying to but.. I don't either. Shit. What do you think we did?" 

Billy grins deviously and shrugs, looking at him out of the corner of his eye. "I mean, we don't have hickeys or scratches on us, so that rules out the obvious," he states with a snort, and Steve lightly hits his shoulder. "I should've known you were gonna say that. Fuck you, even if you are right." He laughs, but that kills his head, so he stops short. "We need ibuprofen," he says to him, and Steve slowly nods. "God, yeah we do."

After everything, this feels nice. 

He still can't believe it feels nice with  _ Steve _ , after all their fights. 

God, he's doomed. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took me so long to make another chapter! I've been doin a ton of stuff so it's been a hot minute since I've been motivated! Also, apologies for it being a bit short!

There is no motivation to do damn anything with the hangovers they had, even after the Ibuprofen that was taken almost by the handful. The two were still on Steve's floor, stretched out with their eyes closed, just feeling the cool air roll over their skin. Billy wondered what the hell they would do today, or what  _ he  _ would do today.. if anything at all. Maybe he'd just lay here forever, if that was an option. Usually his hangovers didn't kick his ass this bad, but whatever Steve had given him must have been a lot harder than he previously thought. 

"What's the plan, amigo?" He asked as he looked up at the ceiling, hearing Steve grunt beside him in acknowledgement. "Laying here. I dunno," he muttered almost into the floor, and Billy laughed. "Fine. Sounds good to me." He closed his eyes for a moment and heard Steve shift a little, sighing quietly. "If we're gonna stay down here we could always play truth or dare or something," Steve offered, and he just about snorted in response, his lips curling in a little baby snarl. 

"What are we, middle school girls? Come the fuck _on_, Harrington."

"I mean, I'm serious. We could," he said, a bit stubbornly, and Billy sighed. "Fine. Fuck it. Shoot your shit. Truth," he told him, his blue eyes opening again to look over at the other. He was laying on his side with his head propped up on his elbow, watching him. It was kind of cute in a way, and he almost hated it. "Do you care how far it goes?" He asked quietly, and Billy shook his head at him. "Why did your dad throw you out?"

His jaw clenched tight at the question, knowing it would come to this. He decided to take a deep breath in and let it out hard through his nose, almost glaring at the ceiling as he thought over how to answer him smoothly. "Well, Harrington, since I'm no chicken shit to truths," he started, closing his eyes. "I was convinced to come out to him. Stupidly enough, but I was. I'm fuckin' gay, and he hates anyone who is, so. That's that." When he blinked over at him, he saw Steve's face soften, his eyebrows drawn together in this way that just made him look so  _ gentle _ \- and it made his chest ache. "Stop fuckin' lookin' at me like that, Harrington. It's fine," he snapped, and Steve frowned a bit more, but his face cleared up again. "Sorry, I.. I didn't know. I didn't expect that to be the reason." 

Billy shrugged a bit at him, sighing before saying, "Truth or dare, pretty boy." Steve shifted, thinking for a moment before saying truth too, and he was surprised by just how fast he knew a question for him. "Why did you kiss me in my room and at the hospital?" This one made him pause even longer than Billy did, which shocked him. "I uh.. I guess I was just so relieved finding out you were okay that I.. kind of just did. I don't know, really, it was my first instinct to just  _ kiss  _ you and I can't even explain why. Truth or dare, by the way." He opened his mouth to ask why he even  _ cared _ so much, but upon remembering the game they were playing, shut it again. 

"You're fuckin crazy, Harrington," he muttered as shifted to look at him better, letting out a long breath. "Truth." Steve nodded slowly, looking up toward the ceiling while he pondered over what to ask next.

"Do the kids know something I don't?"

"Yes." 

"Wait, they do? Shit. I thought I was just going nuts."

Billy laughed, shaking his head at him. "I mean maybe you are, but no. They know  _ so  _ much more than you, pretty boy," he remarked in a more taunting way, which Steve kind of frowned at. "Well shit. I'm starting to regret this game now-`` ''Truth or dare, Harrington." Steve hummed as Billy cut him off, levelling him with an unamused look. 

After the game started turning more into ‘Truth’ rather than ‘Truth or Dare, Billy sat up carefully and sort of half crawled over to the desk beside Steve, finding the camera left behind on top of it. All around the damn thing were pictures- with the only nice looking one being the one before they got too drunk. He almost completely forgot about it, funny enough. Glancing back at Steve, he scooped up the handful or two’s worth of the Polaroids and shuffled back in front of him, laying them out on the floor. “Looks like we had fun with this thing last night, huh?” He remarked, watching the brunette open his eyes again to see what he was talking about. “Oh jeez. What did we do?” He asked as he too sat up, turning his dark eyes to the pictures between them. 

One was of Billy, taken from above, grinning in what could only be called a flirty way, his eyes low-lidded, and his shirt barely on. He looked like a beautiful mess, if anything. A beautiful  _ drunk  _ mess. Steve was definitely sitting over his lap for that one- but neither of them could recall taking it. Another one was of Steve, sitting next to his bottle, laughing. It looked like such a genuinely  _ happy  _ picture too, so much that it made Billy almost smile in a warm way at it, but he held it back. “God you literally look like a slut in all of these,” Steve remarked, and he snorted, laughing at that. “It’s just my true form, Harrington. Take it or leave it.”There was an almost even amount of pictures of both of them, in different poses, with different expressions- they must have picked the camera up and just kept loading it with film. It wouldn’t be surprising if that was the case, honestly. It was kind of amusing, once both of them realized they couldn’t remember any of the pictures except for the one right before they  _ really  _ started drinking.

Billy sighed and leaned back, setting the few pictures he was holding back on the floor. Steve was still chuckling at his comment, eyeing one of the pictures as he did- he watched him do it, wondering exactly which one he was looking at. “Hey. Asshole. Can I ask you something?” Billy said, finally deciding to break the quiet between them, blinking unamusedly at Steve when he looked up. “Uhh… yeah. I mean, I thought you would’ve had enough after truth or dare, but sure.” He gave him this little shrug at the end of the sentence, and he kind of just snorted at him. 

“Are we going to do this damn song and dance forever?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh just,” Billy sighed, making an almost annoyed gesture at him, at the pictures, at the air. “Whatever this is. All the kissing. I don’t know. Nevermind.” He stood up slowly, walking to one of the windows and shoving it open, just to light a cigarette and let the smoke out of it. Outside was cool and quiet, with nothing but the sounds of birds surrounding the house. It was almost appreciated. “I mean.. I don’t know. I can’t exactly tell the future, Billy,” Steve remarked, and he swore he almost rolled his eyes into the back of his head. Thank god he wasn’t able to see his face. “Hm. Real fuckin’ helpful,” he muttered crossly under his breath, feeling the ache of yesterday’s brawl with his dad catching back up to him now that his hangover was waning. He heard Steve move, probably standing, but didn’t pay much mind to it. Maybe he should go for a drive- he was suddenly a bit too annoyed to want to be in the presence of someone else. 

“Hey. Sorry. That wasn’t the right thing to say, uh, hang on,” Steve said as he joined him at his elbow, exhaling softly. “I’m not used to doing this. Not with you, especially. I didn’t expect you to say that so I got a bit defensive. And so.. I hope not. I mean, I.. hope we keep kissing, if that’s what you mean.” Billy laughed, something sharp and metallic against the softness of Steve’s voice, and shot what was almost a glare at him out of the corner of his eye. “I mean I’m not fuckin’ surprised you hope so, since you’ve been the only one to really kiss the other out of the two of us. I don’t know what I mean, Harrington. Jesus christ I don’t know why I’m so pissed off,” he growled out, rubbing two fingers against his forehead. Steve lightly touched his arm, and was surprised to see him with a cigarette between his teeth; holding it up against his to light his own. 

“Let’s stop this chat for right now,” he murmured around it, and he nodded in agreement. 


End file.
